


drabbles

by imposterhuman



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Angst, Christmas Fluff, Drabble Collection, Fluff, Grief, Height Differences, Hurt/Comfort, Irondad, M/M, MIT Era, New Year's Kiss, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark Friendship, Pining, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Snowball Fight, Spy Tony Stark, Thief Bucky Barnes, Unrequited Love, thief Tony Stark, world records
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 7,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23324764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imposterhuman/pseuds/imposterhuman
Summary: my collection of tumblr drabbles
Relationships: Clint Barton/Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man)/Pepper Potts, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 29
Kudos: 179
Collections: Assassin Twins + Tony, IronHusbands, IronSoldier





	1. stevetony; unrequited love

**Author's Note:**

> im finally migrating my tumblr drabbles to ao3 (mostly because i feel bad that its been more than a month and i have posted Nothing)!
> 
> so now for the first one: anyone somebody please write me a tony-centric love triangle based on the lyric “i know, you belong to somebody new, but tonight, you belong to me” from the lovely @ad1thi on tumblr
> 
> in my head, this takes place post-cw, where tony and steve make up, but it's not the same? they still love each other and they always will, but they've burned way too many bridges to rebuild on the ashes and tony has moved on and its a Whole Mess
> 
> enjoy!

Steve barely registered when the elevator door chimed open, cheerfully announcing Tony and Bucky’s return from their date. He stayed in his spot on the armchair, studiously ignoring the world. It had been a bad day, and a bad week, and, really, a bad year, and seeing the fella he loved coming home with his best friend was just icing on the cake. 

He’d never begrudge either of them their happiness, but it still hurt, sometimes, to see them together. They deserved each other, deserved the small pocket of peace they had found in each other’s arms, and Steve would never do anything to ruin that.

No matter how much it felt like his own heart was being ripped out of his chest when Tony smiled at Bucky like he hung the moon and the stars all at once, and Bucky’s answering grin was just as sappy.

He heard a whispered conversation between the pair, but he didn’t focus enough to pick out the words. In front of Steve was a sketchbook; he had spent the last hour trying to draw something- _anything_ \- other than Tony. The pages were still blank.

Steve closed his eyes as the glow from the elevator faded. The doors had closed; Tony and Bucky had probably decided to go upstairs to Tony’s penthouse. 

Soft footsteps startled his eyes open. They weren’t Bucky’s, who walked surprisingly heavily for an assassin. No, Tony stood in front of his chair, a sad smile on his lips.

“Hey, Steve,” he said kindly. “You okay?”

“Always,” Steve parroted one of Tony’s favorite phrases, but it fell flat, if Tony’s expression was anything to go by. “I’m fine, really.”

“You’re not fine,” Tony said, still quiet, like he was talking to a scared animal. “Talk to me, Winghead.”

“I just…” Steve shook his head. “Can we not? Can you… can you hold me right now? That’s what I need. No questions. No talking. Just… don’t leave me alone?”

Tony’s hands twitched. “Steve, I’m-”

“I know,” Steve cut him off gently. “I know you’re his, and he’s yours, and all that. But please, Tony, just tonight?”

Something like agony flashed in Tony’s eyes. “Of course, Steve,” he whispered, pulling Steve into a hug. He sat down on the armchair, not built for two people, so his whole body was a line of warmth pressed against Steve’s. “You’re still my friend. I’ll always be here for you. No matter what.”

“No matter what,” Steve echoed dully, the years of mistakes and the mile-long list of hurts between them running through his mind. Every single missed opportunity, every almost, every maybe, burned like a brand as it replayed. Everything he should have said, every time he should have thrown caution to the wind and followed his heart, it hurt. Being with Tony, but not being _with_ Tony, _hurt_. But being apart hurt worse. So Steve would take what he could get, because he was too stupid to the first time around. “Friends.”


	2. rhodeytony; grieving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mit! era rhodeytony fic to the lyric “if you feel lonely, i could feel lonely with you”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual, most of my good ideas come from @ad1thi on tumblr

Tony was pulling away, retreating into himself. It was subtle, hidden under all of his bluster and charm, but Rhodey noticed. Rhodey always noticed; he just didn’t know why. He thought everything had been going well, but Tony was clearly hurting.

Getting Tony to talk about his feelings was about as easy as getting blood from a stone. No amount of cajoling or pleading could move him if he decided to internalize something and never talk about it again, no matter how bad it was for him. Luckily, Rhodey had a system to deal with exactly that.

When he got back to the dorms, Tony was sitting in his bed, eyes closed. If that wasn’t weird enough, there were no half-finished projects on the table, nothing sparking ominously. There weren’t even schematics out. He was just still, laying in his bed.

Rhodey’s concern skyrocketed. Tony was never still. 

“Hey, Tones,” he ventured, stepping into the room and locking the door behind him. He didn’t ask if Tony was okay; the younger boy never responded well to it. 

“Hi, Honey Bear,” answered Tony, faux-cheerful. “What’s up?”

“Nothing much,” Rhodey crossed the room to sit next to Tony. “I was just going to take a nap, probably. What about you?”

Unconsciously, Tony leaned against Rhdoey, seeking comfort. “Just thinking,” he said.

Rhodey wrapped an arm around his friend. “Well,” he offered. “I’m here to listen, if you want.” With that, he fell silent. It was up to Tony to share, if he wanted to. Rhodey’s strategy- non confrontational, unassuming, and gentle- had a very high success rate.

“Jarvis died,” Tony whispered after a long few minutes, resolutely looking at the ceiling. “And I can’t even go to the funeral.”

Rhodey sucked in a breath. From what he’d gathered of Tony’s home life, Jarvis had been his first and only friend before MIT. The old butler was the closest thing Tony had to a father. “I’m sorry, Tones,” he said. 

“I just feel so alone,” Tony’s voice was wet with tears. “J is- was- my…” He broke off in a sob.

“I know, Tony,” Rhodey rubbed a comforting hand down Tony’s back. “I know. Let it out, it’s okay.”

“I don’t know what to do,” admitted Tony. “I’m all alone now.”

“I’ll be alone with you, then,” Rhodey said with a small smile, pressing a kiss to the side of Tony’s head. 

He held the younger boy as he cried in earnest for his dead father, until the sobs wracking his frame petered off into sniffles, then silence. Tony curled in closer against Rhodey, staining his shirt with tears. Rhodey didn’t mind.

“Thanks, Rhodey” Tony said finally, voice raw.

“Always, Tones.”


	3. buckytony; fluff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> buckytony + “i wish you could see how much, you mean, to me”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bet you cant guess who prompted this one (adi i love you)

Tony was still when he slept, peaceful. There was something serene in his face when the masks dropped off, when he lay open and quiet in Bucky’s bed. 

He had long since passed out after several days in the lab on a mad creating binge. Bucky had practically carried the smaller man up to bed, not without protest. Upon touching his head to a pillow, though, Tony had fallen asleep instantly. It was almost comical.

Bucky was in a melancholy mood, the kind that sunk its hooks into him at night and didn’t want to let go. It would dissipate in the morning, when Tony was all smiles in his lap and he couldn’t _not_ smile back, when the world was light and awake again, but he was loathe to wake Tony to kickstart the process. Tony got so little sleep as it was.

Bucky traced a finger across the arch of his boyfriend’s cheekbone down to his lips. He pushed Tony’s hair back from where it had fallen in his eyes, the curls easily yielding to his attention. Tony didn’t stir, not even a little bit.

Maybe his complete unconsciousness loosened Bucky’s tongue, maybe it was his own exhaustion.

“I wish you could see how much you mean to me,” he whispered, painfully in love. “You act like your life doesn’t matter, like _you_ don’t matter, and it kills me, baby. You give yourself away until there’s nothing left because someone told you, at some point, that that was how to get people to love you. But doll, you don’t have to give me a thing; _you_ are enough.

“One of these days,” Bucky smiled through the pain in his heart. “You’re gonna throw yourself on a bomb, or give too much of yourself away, and I’m gonna lose you. And that’s going to destroy me. I am so in love with you, Tony Stark, more than I think you and your genius brain comprehend.”

Tony didn’t move. His breathing was deep and even as Bucky slipped into bed behind him, pulling him against his body.

“Love you, Tony,” he said, closing his eyes against the tidal wave of emotion. “Always.”


	4. peppermay; getting together

Pepper smoothed down the lines of her skirt with one hand, brushing imaginary dust off for the hundredth time. In the other, she clutched a bouquet of flowers: peonies, May’s favorites. It was a little elaborate to ask the woman on a first date, but Pepper wanted everything to be perfect.

“Okay, Potts,” she said to herself, taking a deep breath. “You got this. It’s just a date, you’re not proposing. You deal with the Board and they’re scarier than May.”

Tony leveled her with an unimpressed look. “That’s your fifth pep talk in as many minutes,” he said. “C’mon, Pep, you got this. Carpe diem, and all that.”

“Why are you even here?” she hissed, patting her hair down. “And do I look okay?”

He rolled his eyes. “You look beautiful, Miss Potts,” he said dryly. “And I’m here because I’m stealing Peter for the day. _You_ tagged along with _me_ , remember?”

“Shut up,” said Pepper. “Be nice to me, I’m in distress.”

“You got this,” he reassured her. “And besides, it’s too late to back out now.”

Tony reached out and knocked on the door three times, ignoring her dirty look, as per usual. Pepper wondered if she had time to flee before May got to the door. There was a window at the end of the hall that was looking more and more appealing…

No, she told herself and straightened her spine. She was Pepper Potts. She’d faced down worse than first date jitters before breakfast that morning (breakfast in the Tower with the Avengers was a capital-a Affair). She was cool, competent, and she had this well in hand. 

Until May opened the door, smiling happily with a smudge of flour on her cheek, and Pepper melted. 

She stilled completely, staring. Tony made a noise of amusement and pushed past her into the apartment. 

“May!” he greeted, leaning in to kiss the woman’s cheek fondly. “You look lovely today. Did you get a haircut? New dress?”

May raised an eyebrow at his attempts to charm her. “Yes, you can steal Peter,” she sighed, waving a hand. “He’s in his room working on some homework. If it’s not done by the time you drop him off this evening, I’ll ground you, too.”

Looking thoroughly chastised, Tony nodded. “Thanks, May,” he said, moving in the direction of Peter’s room. Pepper breathed out a sigh of relief. He hadn’t said anything about her. “Oh, and Pepper has something to tell you, bye!”

She’d spoken too soon. In her head, Pepper thought of at least four meetings to send him to as revenge. But that was a problem for later; right now, May was looking at her expectantly. 

“I… uh…” Pepper stuttered, her perfect calm failing her in the face of a gorgeous woman. She shoved the flowers forward. “Here.”

May blushed. “They’re wonderful, Pepper,” she said, ducking her face. “I’ll just go put them in water.”

“Go out with me,” Pepper blurted out. She took a calming breath. “I mean, would you like to go out with me, May? We can get dinner?”

The other woman’s eyes twinkled. “I was waiting for you to ask,” she teased with a wink. She leaned in for a quick kiss, no more than a chaste brushing of lips. “Of course I do. Pick me up at seven?”

Pepper’s grin was so wide it hurt. “It’s a date.”


	5. buckytony; snowball fights

Tony took a deep breath, calming his nerves. He was in his battle mindset, calculating angles and force and wishing he had JARVIS’s soothing voice in his ear. But he didn’t; it was just him and his target, separated by the snowy field.

In his hands, he painstakingly rolled the perfect snowball, a finely honed art like any other engineering project. Bucky stood with his back trustingly to Tony, putting the finishing touches on his snowman. The assassin was distracted, and Tony knew it was the best time to strike.

He hefted the snowball in his hand, feeling its weight and adjusting his math. It was harder without his targeting system, but Tony wasn’t a genius for nothing. He could see where the arc of the snowball would go: right to the back of Bucky’s head, as intended.

Of course, no good mission was ever complete without an exit strategy or a fall guy, and Tony had both. It was ten quick steps to the doors of the Compound, on the off chance Bucky realized it was him. But he never would, not with Steve so well positioned to Tony’s left. He, too, was distracted by building some sort of elaborate snow sculpture. It was the perfect plan; now Tony just had to put it in motion.

Narrowing his eyes, Tony took aim. As soon as the snowball left his hand, he turned and pretended to be busy, knowing that it would strike true. Bucky’s yelp of surprise put a grin on his face, but he smothered it quickly. 

“Tony!” Bucky protested indignantly. Tony looked over his shoulder to see his boyfriend shaking snow out of his hair. “That was mean.”

“I didn’t do it!” Tony said. He pointed one gloved finger at an unsuspecting Steve, putting on his most innocent face. It seemed to be working, if Bucky’s expression was any indication. “It was him.”

“Steve!” cried Bucky, forgetting about Tony entirely. 

Tony allowed himself a small smirk of victory as Steve met Bucky’s anger with righteous confusion. He retreated back indoors to watch the carnage with a mug of hot chocolate. God, he loved winter.


	6. buckytony; christmas fluff

Tony ripped a piece of tape off of the dispenser, fixing another flap of wrapping paper in place with a pleased smile. He flipped the box, securing the other side, and uncapped his marker to label it. 

_Bucky_ , he scrawled his boyfriend’s name in his engineer’s handwriting and slid the parcel under the tree. He turned back to his stack of presents and grabbed the next one- a garish red, white, and blue sweater for Steve- to wrap. 

Tony had always loved wrapping presents, starting back when he was a kid, painstakingly wrapping small robots for Jarvis and Ana. There was something methodical and precise about it that calmed him. Plus, he loved the look of surprise on the faces of the people he loved when they opened their presents. 

He finished taping Steve’s gift (wrapped in Captain America themed paper, of course) and put it under the tree with the rest. 

His wrapping was almost militantly neat compared to some of the other packages. Clint’s in particular looked like he’d given up halfway through and just stuck a purple sticker on them. 

Well, Tony figured as he finished with Natasha’s gift, at least he’d tried. 

Tony looked at the tree, lit up with piles of presents under it. It was nothing like the perfect trees he’d grown up with in Stark Mansion; the Avengers’ tree was a riot of colors and novelty ornaments, the lights- despite Natasha’s best efforts- were a snarled mess, and it had to be in a corner because Thor had gotten a little overexcited and broken half the branches off. 

Tony absolutely loved it. Finally, he had the Christmas full of love that he’d always wanted. If his younger self could see him now, he thought. 

His knees ached in protest as he stood. He was probably a little too old to be hunched over on the floor wrapping presents. But Tony was grinning and he padded back to his and Bucky’s bedroom. 

He got ready for bed quietly, listening to Bucky’s soft snores. His boyfriend had sprawled across the whole bed, as he was wont to do, so Tony gently moved one of his arms to slip underneath. 

“Mm?” Bucky stirred when Tony climbed in next to him, but he didn’t open his eyes.

“Shh, Snowflake,” Tony soothed, snuggling in close. “I was just finishing up my wrapping.”

“Merry Christmas, Tony,” Bucky breathed into his hair. 

Tony closed his eyes, safe and happy. “Merry Christmas, love.”


	7. buckytony; new year's kiss

_Ten!_

Bucky pulled Tony close on the balcony, close enough that he could feel the warmth of his boyfriend’s breath in the cold air. He smiled down at him, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes. 

“Nine,” he whispered with the crowd below them, but his eyes weren’t watching the ball. They were on Tony, of course.

Tony tipped his chin up a little bit. “Eight,” he said back, eyes sparkling. He lifted his arms, linking his hands behind Bucky’s neck. “You ready for the New Year, Soldier?”

“As long as I can spend it with you,” Bucky ignored the countdown, focusing on Tony. His face hurt from grinning so hard. Bucky was pretty sure he’d never been as in love as he was right then.

_Five!_

“Oh, Bucky,” Tony leaned in as the chanting below reached a fever pitch. “You’re never getting rid of me.”

_Three!_

_Two!_

_One!_

Bucky pressed their lips together as the ball dropped, signaling the start of the new year. He wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist and deepened the kiss. His heart felt like it would explode with emotion. It wasn’t the right time for the ring box burning a hole in his pocket, Bucky decided, so he let himself melt into the moment.

“Happy New Year,” Tony murmured against his mouth, backing up a half-step to rest his head on Bucky’s shoulder. They swayed back and forth to the music, content in each other’s arms.

“Happy New Year,” said Bucky, kissing the top of his head.

It wasn’t the right time yet, but soon. 


	8. buckytony; spy au

Being a spy, Tony decided, was just like being an assassin, except for the moral high ground that he was able to claim. It wasn’t much of a high ground- more of a moral swamp, really- but he took what he could get. 

At least he didn’t _exclusively_ kill people. 

That was what he told himself when Fury handed him his mission: assassinating a HYDRA higherup. It was fairly routine, all things considered. Tony had run a hundred missions just like it. Get in, take the shot, get out; he knew the drill. 

“This one might be too much for even you, Stark,” Fury said quietly as Tony flipped through the folder. 

“Pierce’s security is abysmal,” Tony rolled his eyes. “I could be in and out in ten minutes, tops. There’s nothing- oh.”

Fury nodded. “Yes, the Winter Soldier is his personal guard.”

Tony knew the Winter Soldier, better than he’d care to admit. It was a long story, and he still wasn’t over that time that the Soldier _shot him_ , but he’d kissed it better afterwards. Not, of course, that Tony would tell anyone that. The letting himself get shot bit was just embarassing, and he’d have to fill out so much paperwork for kissing the enemy that it was better to just lie like a cheap rug to the faces of the top spies in the world. 

“It’s a suicide mission,” he said finally. He snapped the folder shut. “When do I start?”

“Whenever you’re ready,” answered Fury. “The sooner, the better. We need Pierce gone in order to move forward with Phase 2.”

Tony thought for a moment. “I’ll have it done by the end of the week,” he promised. He wasn’t SHIELD’s best spy for nothing. Even though killing wasn’t a skill he bragged (too much) about, he was still good at it. If he could get around the Soldier (and he knew he could; not even the Winter Soldier could resist his charms, something he’d proven time and time again), it would be the work of minutes to kill Pierce. 

Fury met his eyes. “Good hunting, then.”


	9. buckytony; sunshine

Bucky knew the dark, more than he’d ever wanted to. He knew every shade of grey between light and shadow, because that was where he had spent his last 70 years. The dark was an old friend to him, always coiled around his shoulders and hidden in his eyes. 

He also knew the cruelty of coldness, how it stole into his bones and made him ache. He’d been so cold he thought he’d never be warm again, frozen in the cryo chambers that HYDRA had kept him in. Cold was another one of his constant companions, like his heart had never thawed out from the cryo.

Bucky had pretty much resigned himself to living in the shadows, watching from the corners. Just because he was free from HYDRA didn’t mean he was _free_. Dark and cold dogged him, made him shake and scream silently from the privacy of his rooms, made him feel the phantom blood on his hands that he could never wash away. There were some things, he knew, from which he could never be free. It was fine; he was used to it. It was fine.

And then he met Tony Stark. Tony, whose smile was sunshine, warm and bright. Tony, who gave him that smile freely, without reserve or artifice, like Bucky hadn’t killed his parents, hadn’t killed thousands of others. Like Bucky wasn’t a monster.

Tony, it seemed, had absolutely no fear. He’d climb into Bucky’s lap on movie nights, under the mound of blankets, and Bucky knew it wasn’t the blankets keeping him warm. It was the literal ball of sunshine in his arms, that he was too afraid to touch, for fear he’d get burned. It was Tony’s satisfied noises as he got comfortable, and Tony’s trusting weight when he fell asleep with his face buried in Bucky’s neck.

It was _Tony_. 

Basking in the glow after their first kiss, Bucky felt the darkness, the cold, retreat a little bit at the full force of Tony’s sunshine, and he couldn’t say he missed it one bit. He just leaned in and kissed Tony again. 

He could get used to feeling warm.


	10. buckytony; modern au

Tony knew staring was rude, okay? And he was doing his best to tear his eyes away, but how was he not supposed to look at the most beautiful man he’d ever seen in his entire life, with fluffy brown hair and striking blue eyes wearing a shitty plastic tiara three feet down the bar from him? He was doing his best to not be obvious, but no one had ever accused him of being subtle before. 

He quickly glanced down right as Tiara Man looked up, cursing into his drink and hoping against hope that he hadn’t been caught staring. Of course, nothing in his life ever went the way he wanted it to, and he felt someone slide onto the barstool next to him.

“Heya, doll,” Tiara Man drawled, his accent thick and unfairly attractive. He was close enough that Tony could feel the heat coming off his body, but far enough away to call the distance somewhat respectable. “I saw you looking. See somethin’ you like?”

Tony bit his lip, turning to face Tiara Man. He wasn’t going to say something stupid, he wasn’t going to say something stupid, he wasn’t going to-

“Why are you wearing a tiara?” he blurted out.

He screamed internally. The first hot guy to approach him at the bar, and _of fucking course_ he had to ruin it by saying something stupid. If he could’ve facepalmed without looking like even more of an idiot, he would’ve.

Luckily, Tiara Man didn’t seem put off. He laughed raspily, shaking his head. “My friend over there, Natasha,” he pointed at a redhead down the bar. “Crowned me the most pathetic man in all the lands, due to my inability to get a date. Not a fan of the title, if I’m being honest, but I think the tiara looks pretty good, no?”

Tony barked out a laugh. “I might have to fight you for that title,” he admitted, taking a sip of his drink. He tipped his head up, giving Tiara Man his best bedroom eyes. “But hey, if you play your cards right, you might have to give up that crown pretty soon.”

Tony bit his lip and hoped _he_ was playing his cards right; it wouldn’t be the first time his flirting had been met with an unimpressed stare. But luckily, Tiara Man (and, really, Tony needed to learn his name sooner rather than later, if the night was going where he thought it was going) seemed content to play along.

Giving Tony a heated look, he said, “Sounds good to me.” He plucked the tiara off of his head, setting it down on the bar. “I was getting sick of this thing, anyway. Wanna get out of here?”

Tony weighed his options for a second. Going home with a man whose name he didn’t even know, hopefully to have some really good sex, or staying at the bar and drinking alone? It was barely even a choice.

“Let’s go,” he decided, finishing his drink. He paused for a moment. “But I’m gonna need your name. I’ve been calling you Tiara Man in my head, and that just won’t do.”

Tiara Man threw his head back in a laugh. “My name’s Bucky, doll,” he wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist as they left the bar, leaving the plastic tiara behind. “Better remember it, because I’m gonna have you screaming it later.”

Tony shivered. Oh, he’d _definitely_ made the right choice.


	11. buckytony; kisses

“Good morning,” Tony murmured, nuzzling his face into Bucky’s neck. It wasn’t often he woke up with his boyfriend still in the bed, seeing as Bucky was prone to torturing himself with early-morning runs and Tony, decidedly, was _not_. But today, apparently, Bucky had decided to forgo his run for morning cuddles. ****

He’d made the right choice, Tony thought approvingly as he curled himself around the furnace that was his super soldier boyfriend. It wasn’t often that he was awake before Bucky, and he intended to savor the moment. He trailed kisses along Bucky’s jaw, feeling more than seeing Bucky’s slow ascent into awareness.

“Mornin’, doll,” Bucky rumbled, his hand coming up to stroke through Tony’s hair. “Did you sleep well?”

Tony hummed against Bucky’s cheek, laying kisses on the stubble-covered skin there. “Slept fine,” he answered. “Why didn’t you go on your run? Not, of course, that I’m complaining.”

“I thought about it,” Bucky said with a smile in his voice. “But then JARVIS told me it was 25 degrees out and I decided to stay in bed.”

“Is that the only reason?” Tony teased, moving to press a kiss to Bucky’s nose. He held himself up on his hands, lips a hair’s breadth from Bucky’s. 

“Hmm, can’t think of another one,” said Bucky, his smile morphing into a smirk. “Can you?”

Tony made a faux-offended noise, moving off of Bucky’s chest and flopping onto the mattress. “Hmmph,” he glared. “See if you get any more morning kisses.”

“That feels unfair,” Bucky rolled them over so he was laying on Tony. His nose brushed Tony’s as he spoke. “I mean, I gave up my morning run for you, and you won’t even kiss me? This feels almost illegal.”

Tony rolled his eyes fondly. “Maybe you can get a few kisses,” he hedged, shifting under Bucky’s comforting bulk. 

Without further fanfare, Bucky bent his head down, planting a soft kiss on Tony’s lips. His long hair brushed Tony’s cheek as Tony melted into it, winding his hands around Bucky’s waist to draw him closer. It was, objectively, a perfect kiss.

Well, almost.

“Ack,” Tony pulled away regretfully, making a face. “Morning breath. Five minute break to brush our teeth and then we can pick up where we left off?”

Bucky looked at him, unbearably fond, with laughter in his eyes. “You don’t have to convince me, doll.”


	12. buckytony; angst

Tony was no stranger to falling out of the sky. If he was being honest, he thought he was getting quite good at it. He certainly got enough practice. However, it was hard to remember all that practice as he hurtled towards the ground at terminal velocity, alarms blaring through the suit. ****

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he chanted as he tried to get the suit’s systems back online, anything to slow his fall. The suit was strong, but he was pretty sure that he’d get a tiny bit killed if it hit the ground from 100 stories up. “J, can we redirect power to one of the boot repulsors and one of the hand repulsors?”

“Redirecting, sir,” JARVIS said quickly. The HUD dimmed as all available power went to his repulsors, which stuttered to life. 

Tony did his best to control his fall with short and shaky repulsor blasts, but he knew he was still on track to hit the ground hard and fast. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact. By his calculations, he wouldn’t _die_ , but he’d definitely be feeling it for a little while.

He hit the ground with a loud crash, a scream tearing its way out of his throat despite his best efforts. Everything hurt and Tony saw darkness closing in on the edges of his vision. Somewhere deep in his head, under the burning agony, he recognized that he definitely had a concussion.

However loud his scream, though, it couldn’t match Bucky’s. Tony had been absolutely positive that no one was near where he fell (he hadn’t wanted to accidentally crush a teammate), yet he could feel Bucky scrambling at the releases of his armor. 

“Please be okay, please be okay,” he was chanting, more emotion in his voice than Tony thought he’d ever heard. “Jesus Christ, Tony.”

Tony forced his eyes open. “Hey, Snowflake,” he croaked out, tasting blood on his lips. “Guess I really _fell_ for you, huh?”

“God damn it, Tony,” Bucky laughed almost hysterically. “Only you could fall out of the sky and come out joking.” His hand stroked at Tony’s hair gently, a contrast to the tightness of his jaw. “I’m going to carry you to Medical, okay? Don’t pass out on me.”

“Mmm, no can do on that one,” murmured Tony. Pain lanced through him as Bucky picked him up. “ _Hurts_.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Bucky was moving fast, and Tony would’ve liked feeling his strength under any other circumstances. But he couldn’t exactly appreciate it when it felt like his whole body had gone through a blender. “We’re almost there. Come on, stay with me.”

“I’m sorry,” Tony whispered. 

“Stay awake, damn it,” Bucky near-growled. Something wet hit Tony’s cheek as his eyes fluttered shut. He hated disappointing Bucky with a passion, but he just couldn’t keep his eyes open. 

“Bucky…” he breathed one last time, and then the world went black. 


	13. ironhawk; height differences

Tony didn’t resent that he was shorter than his boyfriend, okay? And he definitely didn’t have a complex about being the second-shortest Avenger (and Natasha barely counted, given the six-inch heels she was prone to wearing). So he’d lost the genetic lottery in some ways, but he’d argue that his good looks and genius intellect more than made up for it.

And so what if he wore lifts in his shoes? It wasn’t his fault that he wanted to be able to look his boyfriend in the eye and not have to get up on his tiptoes to kiss him. Clint seemed to find it adorable, at least, which was a small bonus. 

Still, Tony liked feeling tall, and he definitely liked being taller than Clint. It wasn’t often that he could do that (Pepper had banned him from using his repulsor boots in the Tower to hover everywhere after he’d burned the nice floors. It wasn’t like he couldn’t replace them, but it was the principle of the thing, apparently, and he was far too scared of Pepper to argue with her), so he liked to take advantage of the opportunities as they rolled around. 

Like right then, he decided, darting up the stairs faster than Clint. 

“What, are we racing now?” Clint asked lazily, not making a move to overtake Tony even though Tony knew he could. 

Tony rolled his eyes, turning back to face him. “I’d win anyway,” he lied with a cheeky grin. “But no.”

Clint shrugged and came to a stop a step below where Tony was. They were almost the same height now, with Tony being just a hair taller because of the stairs. “Gonna tell me why you’re up there?” 

“Nah,” Tony smiled and tilted his head down. “I’d rather just kiss you instead.”

Clint, clearly never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, met Tony halfway. It was a different angle than Tony was used to, but he thought he adjusted admirably. He lost himself in it for a moment, sinking into the sweet kiss. Neither of them were pushing for anything deeper, not in the middle of the stairwell, anyway, so Tony just reveled in the feeling of being held (and, of course, taller than Clint).

“Ah,” Clint said sagely when they broke apart. “It’s the height thing, isn’t it?”

Tony squawked indignantly. Sometimes, he hated having a highly trained SHIELD agent for a boyfriend. 

“Shut your mouth,” Tony said with a huff, trying to hide the flush on his cheeks.

Clint smirked, eyes dancing with mirth. “Make me.”

And really, there was only one thing Tony could do with that. He leaned down and kissed Clint again.


	14. tony and morgan; forehead kisses

It had taken six hours of labor on Pepper’s end (and six hours of useless fretting on Tony’s, before Pepper had tersely threatened to send him out of the room if he didn’t stop running around like a headless chicken, because  _ you’re not the one pushing a watermelon out of yourself, Tony, what the hell do you have to worry about? _ ) to give birth to Morgan, but finally, their baby was here, and she was  _ perfect _ .

Tony had saved the world countless times, had given the middle finger to the laws of science in his basement, had stood with gods and supersoldiers, but nothing he’d ever seen in his life was as breathtaking as his exhausted wife cradling their daughter like she was the most precious thing in the universe.

He genuinely thought his heart was going to explode when Pepper looked down at the tiny bundle in her arms, smiling softer than he’d ever seen her smile before. Tony brushed a sweaty curl of hair off of her forehead and smiled, too. Morgan was absolutely beautiful, with Pepper’s blue eyes and his own dark hair. Tony was pretty sure he'd never been happier than he was in that moment, holding his wife’s hand and looking at their baby. 

Sometimes, he wasn’t sure how he’d gotten so lucky to have the life he had. God knew he didn’t deserve it, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to cling to it with all he had. 

“Here, your turn to hold her,” Pepper rasped, holding Morgan out. Tony took her gently, terrified that one wrong move would break his baby. She was so  _ small _ , so soft and unblemished compared to his calloused hands. But she fit perfectly in his arms, as if she was meant to be there, as if he’d been waiting to hold her his whole life. Tony couldn’t help but to coo at Morgan as she burbled baby gibberish.

“Hey, baby girl,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss on her forehead and doing his best not to cry. He wasn’t sure he succeeded, but it was definitely an admirable effort, in his opinion. “Welcome to the world, Morgan.”


	15. rhodeytony; mit era fluff

“Platypus. Sugar Bear. Sour Patch,” Rhodey woke up to Tony’s voice right in his ear. He jolted, smacking his head against Tony’s, who stumbled back into the dresser and promptly fell on the floor. “ _ Ow _ !”

Rhodey rubbed his eyes tiredly. “It’s what you deserve for waking me up at--” he turned to look at the clock. “--six o’clock, what the fuck, Tones? Are you crazy?”

Tony grinned at him, unrepentant, from the floor. “Nope!”

Rhodey narrowed his eyes. “Drunk?”

“At six in the morning?” Tony raised an eyebrow. “I have some standards.”

“How much coffee have you had?”

“That’s irrelevant.”

“Crazy, then,” Rhodey decided, flopping back over. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m going back to sleep.”

Tony made a face. “Rhodey,” he whined, still making no move to get up.

Rhodey groaned loudly. “What?” He really couldn’t deny Tony anything, which might’ve been a bit of a problem. At least Tony hadn’t asked for his help hiding a body (yet). 

“I had something important to tell you,” Tony sniffed haughtily. “But now I’m not going to tell you because you were mean to me right there. That was a mean tone.”

“Tony, I swear to every god that has ever been sworn to that if you didn’t have a good reason for waking me at _ six in goddamn the morning _ , I’m going to kick your ass.”

Tony was smiling like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth, and Rhodey had a horrible, sinking feeling that he was  _ not  _ going to like Tony’s explanation. He sighed to himself; he’d signed himself up for this, really, Tony  _ had  _ warned him. It was Rhodey’s own fault for not listening to the disclaimer. 

“I just wanted to tell you that I love you,” Tony said, faking a pout. It would’ve been convincing if not for the twitch at the corner of his mouth that betrayed his smile. 

Rhodey scoffed. “And?”

“And that there’s possibly a beaver loose in the dining hall and I need you to be my alibi,” Tony’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “I was here all night, okay?”

“I am literally going to kill you,” Rhodey said calmly. “And no jury on earth would convict me.”

Tony preened, hopping into the bed next to Rhodey and snuggling up close. “You’re the best friend ever, Honeybear,” he said.

Rhodey looked at the clock. If he didn’t waste his time on the whole murder thing, he could still get two more hours of sleep, provided Tony didn’t move around too much. Making his decision, he slung his arm around Tony’s waist and closed his eyes. “Damn right I am,” he said. “Now, go to sleep, and if you wake me before eight, I will personally march you to the dean’s office and give him the itemized list of things that are your fault.”


	16. winteriron; partners in crime au

“Absolutely not,” Tony declared, setting his hands on his hips as he stared at the building plans in front of him. “We are not crawling through the vents.”

“Doll,” Bucky cajoled. “It’s the easiest way in and you know it.”

Tony glared at him. “No self-respecting art thief crawls through the vents.”

“You have self-respect? Really?” Bucky raised an eyebrow right back, refusing to cow to Tony’s (terrifying!) glare. “I thought you lost that when you had to swim through the sewers on the Cartier job.”

“Yeah, well, I got it back,” Tony sniffed. He shivered at the memory of that clusterfuck of a heist. “And that means that if we’re actually stealing these diamonds, I will not be traversing the vents like we’re in a bad spy movie. Besides, look at the construction: they wouldn’t hold our weight without collapsing, and I think that would give us away.”

Bucky scowled at him, but Tony just smiled beatifically. It wasn’t their first time planning a heist together; Tony knew that he’d get his way in the end. His way, after all, was better. The last time he’d followed one of Bucky’s plans, he’d ended up in the sewers. While it hadn’t been  _ all  _ Bucky’s fault, it had still been his plan, so Tony wasn’t above milking it for all it was worth. He’d had to wade through the  _ sewers _ . In a  _ nice suit.  _

This time around, they were going after a gorgeous diamond necklace kept at the Hammer estate worth a couple of million dollars. The abysmal security and arrogance of Justin Hammer himself made getting in almost too easy; it was getting around once inside that was the problem. Tony had cased the mansion before: there were few places to hide and a  _ lot  _ of cameras. Hence, Bucky’s vent idea.

“Do you have a better plan?” asked Bucky, rolling up the building plans and setting them aside.

Of course Tony did. He made a point not to criticize unless he was confident he could do better. It wasn’t his fault that he was pretty much always confident he could do better.

Tony tossed an envelope at his partner. “I do, actually,” he said. “And I secured us two tickets already, so you’re welcome.”

“Hammer’s holding a gala?” Bucky scanned the invitation. “It’s only three days from now. That’s not enough time to plan this.”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” Tony rolled his eyes. “Take a risk every once in a while, will you? Three days is plenty of time.”

“Famous last words,” Bucky muttered under his breath. He passed the invitation back to Tony. “Fine. Let’s do it, but if it goes wrong, I don’t want to hear about the sewers ever again, you hear?”

Tony preened, pressing a chaste kiss to Bucky’s lips as he darted around to grab his tablet. “It won’t go wrong,” he said. “It’s  _ us _ . When have we ever messed up a job?”

(Three days later, when it was Bucky’s turn to crawl through the sewers to get the security guards off his tail, he cursed Tony loudly and vehemently for jinxing the job. Tony laughed so hard he cried. Turnabout, after all, was fair play.)


	17. ironhawk; shenanigans

Clint was laser-focused, his tongue sticking out in concentration. His hands were steady, like they always were when he was on an important mission. There was no room for error here. He had to complete the mission and do it well. He could do it, he knew. Failure simply wasn’t an option.

And then Tony twitched, sending the stack of hockey pucks on his forehead to the ground.

“Tony!” Clint complained. “Stop moving! I’m going to have to start counting all over again!”

“I can’t help it!” Tony sat up from where he’d been laying on the carpet. “I’m a twitchy person!” 

Clint blew out a breath and started to collect the scattered pucks. “Maybe you should be the one balancing them on my forehead,” he suggested. “I twitch less. And you’re better at Jenga, which has to count for something.”

“Good idea,” Tony agreed. He grabbed the stack from Clint, turning them over in his hands. “I mean, this is largely a stupid idea, but seeing as we’re proceeding with said stupid idea, yours is a good suggestion.”

“Dude,” Clint laid on the ground. “Use normal human grammar. _Seeing as we’re proceeding_? Nerd.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Remind me again why we’re doing this?”

“Nat said I couldn’t break more world records than her and I couldn’t let that stand,” Clint shrugged. Spite was a completely normal motivation. “So you’re helping me break the record for most hockey pucks balanced on my forehead while lying down because you love me and believe in me more than she does. The number to beat is 26.”

“Ah, that explains everything,” Tony drawled, tossing a puck back and forth between his hands. “I get half credit if we do this. And for all the rest that I help you with.”

“Deal,” Clint grinned. It was always fun when he got Tony’s competitiveness into play. There was no way they’d lose to Natasha now, if only because Tony would rather die than admit defeat. “I have so many ideas. Next up is balancing a raw egg vertically on my forehead, which has to be easy, right?”

Tony put his face in his hands. “What did I get myself into?” he moaned.

“Stop complaining and start stacking,” Clint stilled, falling back into mission mode. Nothing could move him now. “We have a world record to beat.”

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos make me happy :))
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr [@imposter-human](https://imposter-human.tumblr.com/)


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